Surgery Center to Open in November

Dr. Giuseppe Riitano of Italy is an important presence at St. Damien. Dr. Riitano, a General and Vascular Surgeon, returned to our hospital last month to continue working on the Surgery Center. The Surgery Center is scheduled to open for small surgeries this month and we are proud to share that three small surgeries for patients were completed last week!

Preparing the Surgery Rooms for Opening

Dr. Riitano is assisted by Nirva Pierre Marie, Julien Philippe Laurent and Villaire Senoza. The three assistants graduated a training program last month where Julien and Villare learned to be operation technicians and Nirva was trained in to assist with pharmacy. We are especially proud of all three of them and would like to mention that Julien and Nirva both grew up at the NPFS St. Helene Orphanage. We are always proud of our own children when we see that they have become successul adults reaching their potential as Nirva and Julien have.

The three proud graduates!

Julien was proud to share with me that last week the surgery center helped three patients who were in need of aspirations. One patient with a cyst on the side, one patient with cyst on the hand and a third patient with a cyst that reached from the head to the side. All three patients were successfully aspirated and on their way to recovery.

Dr. Riitano is looking forward to having the Surgery Center up and running smoothly soon. He is looking forward to the day when visiting surgeons can visit and offer their services.

News from St. Damien

St. Damien Hospital is the premier pediatric hospital in Haiti and provides all services on a sliding scale. It is funded through donations from benefactors all over the world, primarily in Europe and the United States.